After sending the reanimated body of Hanzō of the Salamander to the Land of Rain and commanding him to protect the land, Rinjin returned to Konoha.
It was already late at night.
Rinjin lay on the roof of his house, hands behind his head, staring blankly at the bright moon in the sky.
Hanzō of the Salamander was dead, yet he still roamed the lands of the Land of Rain.
If Rinjin remembered correctly, the Second Great Ninja War would begin in just a few years.
His current strength was far from enough to withstand the combined might of the three great nations—Wind, Earth, and Fire—and protect the Land of Rain, the homeland beloved by Mizuguma.
How could he prevent the Land of Rain from becoming the battleground of the three great nations?
As he pondered this question, an idea suddenly flashed through his mind—the Land of Water.
As the only great nation that had never been subjected to large-scale invasions, the Land of Water enjoyed a unique geographical advantage.
The vast ocean alone made large-scale invasions nearly impossible.
While shinobi could run on water or travel by boat, both options carried significant risks.
In the event of war, the Land of Water would never allow enemy nations to freely sail into its territory.
Moreover, logistics and supply chains would pose a major challenge in naval warfare.
As these thoughts formed, a bold idea began to take shape in Rinjin's mind.
The next morning, Rinjin dragged a reluctant Rii out of bed.
After a simple breakfast, he brought the grumpy Rii to the tea room.
"Sit down. I have a few tasks to ask of you."
As he spoke, Rinjin sat cross-legged on the tatami mat and poured himself a cup of tea.
Hearing the words "ask of you," Rii's puffed-up cheeks, resembling those of a little squirrel, instantly deflated. Scratching her head, she grinned awkwardly and said:
"Big brother~ Why are you being so formal? We're family! You're making me feel embarrassed!"
At her words, Rinjin let out a sarcastic laugh and replied:
"Embarrassed? You? I think your face is thicker than Fugaku's and could even use an extra brick at the corner of the city wall!"
Hearing this, Rii scratched her head in embarrassment, her grin growing even sillier.
"Big brother, just tell me what you need! I promise I'll get it done!"
"Hmm…" Rinjin paused for a moment before speaking.
"First, I need you to bring back all 100,000 citizens from the Land of Wind to the Land of Rain. Not one less, not one missing. Every single one of them must be returned safely.
Assign this task to Mito Uzumaki and the others. Tell them not to give me any of their usual arrogant nonsense."
"And the second task?" Rii asked, her curiosity piqued.
"The second task is for you to handle personally," Rinjin said, pulling a scroll from his ninja tool pouch and placing it on the low table.
"This is the scroll for Earth Release: Transmutation Technique. Take it and study it."
At the mention of studying, Rii's cheeks puffed up again.
Ignoring her reaction, Rinjin continued:
"Once you've mastered this jutsu, you'll take on the role of the Land of Rain's daimyo and issue a random mission. Then, head to the Land of Rain.
Your task will be to reshape the terrain of the Land of Rain, transforming it into a vast marshland!"
"All of it?" Rii asked curiously as she took the scroll.
"No, leave a patch of land in the center of the Land of Rain. The size is up to you, but it will be the site of your future village."
"What?!" Rii exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.
"My village? What do you mean? Could you stop being so cryptic?"
Seeing Rii's flustered reaction, Rinjin rolled his eyes in exasperation and explained:
"What I mean is that I'm handing over the kingdom I've fought for to you!
From now on, you are the First Leader of Amegakure!
Go forth, Pikachu! Build a village of your own from scratch!"
"Ehhhhh?!" Rii screamed, her beautiful eyes instantly turning into sparkling stars. She stammered excitedly:
"Re… Really?!
I've been promoted from big sister to village leader?
Big brother! I love you to death!"
With that, Rii lunged at Rinjin, planting a big kiss on his cheek.
Wiping the slobber off his face in disgust, Rinjin pushed her away with an exasperated expression.
"Look at you, acting like you've never seen the world!
The Land of Rain is bordered by the three great nations of Wind, Earth, and Fire. If war breaks out, it'll become a chaotic battleground.
You'd better start thinking about how to defend your little piece of land!"
At his words, Rii scratched her head and gave him a cheeky smile.
Seeing her expression, Rinjin smirked coldly.
"Heh~ Don't expect me to help you defend your village! You're dreaming if you think I will.
However…"
"However, what?!" Rii asked anxiously.
Rinjin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leisurely tapped his empty teacup on the table, a mischievous smile on his face.
Realizing what he wanted, the quick-witted Rii immediately picked up the teapot and poured her dear brother a full cup of tea.
"Ahem…" Rinjin cleared his throat and said softly:
"The Land of Wind will pay you 300 million ryō annually as a water usage fee. Whether you can secure it depends on your abilities.
Also, you'll have control over Hanzō of the Salamander. Though his strength has diminished somewhat."
Upon hearing this, Rii's eyes instantly transformed into the shape of money signs.
"Onii-chan~ You're so good to me!"
Her overly sweet and saccharine voice sent shivers down Rinjin's spine. He quickly held up a hand to stop her from pouncing on him again and said sternly:
"Enough! Just focus on being a good village leader—that's the best way to repay me!"
With that, he rubbed his arms, which were covered in goosebumps, and walked out of the tea room, muttering to himself:
"This girl must have something seriously wrong with her brain…"
After a simple lunch, Rinjin bid farewell to Rii once more and returned to Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
The stark contrast between the personalities of the Third Mizukage and the Third Raikage meant that this mission in Kirigakure would be a long and arduous infiltration.
In an underground base spanning over a hundred square meters, excavated by one of his clones, Rinjin was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed on Kisame Hoshigaki's clothing was no longer within Kirigakure.
It seemed that Kisame had left the village on a mission.
The more time he spent in Kirigakure, the more he realized that the village wasn't as isolated as he had imagined.
While ordinary citizens and members of certain prominent clans rarely left the village, a small number of shinobi were granted the opportunity to venture out.
Most of their missions involved assassinations.
This made sense.
Even though Kirigakure relied on the sea for sustenance and had three large civilian towns outside the village to achieve basic self-sufficiency, certain scarce resources still had to be purchased.
The shinobi who carried out assassination missions were the primary source of income for these purchases.
Without hesitation, Rinjin left the underground base and began tracking Kisame's movements.
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